Here is something I hope this community can get behind. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this actually came true.

My comment that accompanied my signature:

Malala demonstrates that courage is not just the stuff of military purple hearts and silver stars. A young teenager faced down intolerance and was gravely wounded for it. And an ocean away - all I can do is sign this petition.

Replies to This Discussion

Signed immediately. Malala has more courage and integrity than any number of Taliban who would silence her for her insistence on her and her friends' right to an education. She is one truly amazing young woman.

Thanks to Pat and Loren who replied and the other 12 people who read this post. I guess my title was not inspiring for this topic because only a few people looked at this. The oppression of women gets me so steamed and I was hoping for a big response from this community. Maybe people saw this and had already signed up for it in another online venue.

Here is a letter I got from the person who had the original idea. Nice to see such an effect on Canadian leaders.

Russell -

We did it! After tens of thousands of Canadians and even more people from around the world signed my petition on Change.orgwe got every single party leader, including the Prime Minister, to get behind the campaign to unanimously nominate Malala Yusufzai for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I am absolutely delighted. When I started my petition I hoped for a few hundred signatures and maybe find one or two politicians to nominate Malala. I never imagined all of our federal parties who hardly ever agree on anything, would end up supporting the campaign for a girl half a world away.

Here is what our political leaders had to say:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

"Laureen and I are pleased to support Malala Yousafzai, a determined young woman who has done so much to promote education and women's rights in her native Pakistan. All Canadians salute her courage and tenacity and wish her well in her recovery." -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair

"Sixty-four years ago the international community signed onto the Universal Declaration of Human Rights…Sixty-four years later, women are still not equal. Acknowledging Malala would reaffirm the world community's commitment to women's empowerment and equality for all persons." -- From the NDP nomination letter by MP Paul Dewar

Liberal Leader Bob Rae

"Around the world, from country to country, we are seeing the emergence of a growing movement in support of Malala…(She) is an inspiration to us all." -- Bob Rae

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

"I am so inspired by her bravery and idealism. We must all re-commit to ensure the rights of all women and girls." -- Elizabeth May

Bloc Québécois Leader Daniel Paillé

"Tens of thousands of Canadians, Quebecers and people from other countries have signed this petition. Malala's courage and tenacity have inspired people around the world and awarding her the Nobel Peace Prize would take us one step closer towards a more peaceful and just society." --Daniel Paillé

Guess what else we did? We started a global phenomenon. Canadians have inspired people from all around the world to start "Nobel for Malala" campaigns in their own countries. Petition pages have gone up in the UK, Pakistan, France, India, Italy, Germany, Ireland, and more are on the way. The counter on all of the pages reflects the cumulative efforts of these petitions from around the world. Over 160,000 people have signed the petition!

As it says in the petition, getting Malala nominated was only the first step. We still need to get as many signatures as possible to encourage political leaders in all of the other countries to support the campaign, and to show the Nobel Foundation how important it is for them to select Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize.